Waking a sleeping giant
by The Rahkshi Writer
Summary: The dream: A champion with his Manectric. The reality: A rookie with a Mudkip that'll test him to the limit. But can the two be reconciled in time to face the rising threat of Team Ruin? Rated between K and T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

****

**Well, this is my first Pokemon fic published. I've tried to write them before, and they've failed, so we won't say any more about that. I'm really better known for my Bionicle Stories on this site (the clue's in the pen name) but after spending the last week rediscovering the joys of Pokemon Emerald, I decided to have another crack at this. I'm combining concepts from the gamed and anime, and probably a few ideas of my own, so if you're confused about anything, just ask. Above all, I hope you enjoy this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, except for the OCs in this story.**

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

He could hear the thunderous roar of the crowd, and knew that it was time. The boy rose from his seat in the trainer's lounge, now deserted except for him. His time had come at last. He pulled on his gloves and headed for the double doors, leading into a dark corridor. He began to walk along it, and the crowd's cheers became louder. His pace quickened as they screamed, until at last he was running towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The crowd was in a frenzy as he burst through...

_He sprinted out into the Stadium, and for a moment he was like a Buneary caught in headlights. But then the brightness faded and he could see the battlefield, the stands lined with fans who'd come to see his final match as just another challenger. Today, they would see the rise of a new champion. He'd always known it would come to this. It had to. It was his destiny. The speakers burst into life, filling the stadium with the voice of the commentator. "Welcome to the Pokémon League championships! It's been an intense competition this year, but there can only be one winner. Today, the challenger, 'Will' Dynamo, from Mauville City, faces the champion! He's come this far, but is he a match for your champion? There's only one way to find out! This will be a one on one Pokémon fight to the finish! Now, trainers prepare yourselves, because it's time to fight! Let this battle begin!" Will immediately drew a pokéball from his belt, clicking it to expand it to full size. He wasn't worried that it would be a one on one battle because he only needed one Pokémon to win._

"_Go, Manetric!" he cried, hurling the pokéball into the sky. Manetric burst out of the ball and landed neatly on the ground. _

"_And naturally, Will's gone with Manetric. We've seen them battling before at the eight Hoen Gyms and of course the Pokémon League tournament, and they haven't lost yet. Can they go the extra distance to beat this last opponent?" Will and Manetric looked out across the stadium to where his opponent was calling out his own Pokémon._

"_Steven only recently reclaimed his title after a few years away from the tournament. Prior to that, his Metagross was a fearsome opponent and I have no doubt that that monster has only gotten stronger. Ladies and gentlemen, Steven and Metagross!" Steven waved to the crowd and Metagross roared at Manectric. Will refused to be put off, despite the type advantage. Instead, he ordered Manectric to use... "Flamethrower!" Manetric spat bright flames at Metagross, and the crowd fell into stunned silence, and as the fire faded, it was broken by applause. _

"_Of course, we should have anticipated this. Manetric and Will are certainly jacks of all trades! It's this versatility that will make them champions!" Will looked across to see Steven's reaction, and was satisfied to see he was utterly confused. Not many people knew about Manectric being able to learn flamethrower, and Steven was caught completely by surprise. The commentator was still talking... "Is it possible that this boy could be even greater than his grandfather, Wattson of Mauville?"..._

Will jerked awake, knowing today really was the day he was going to get his first Pokémon! He glanced over at the calendar for confirmation, and there it was, his 14th birthday ringed by bright red ink. He was about to jump out of bed when he caught sight of the clock-face, and the digital screen that quite clearly read 4:00, am. Groaning, Will rolled over and fell asleep once more.

At the more respectable hour of 9:00, Will woke up to sunlight streaming through his window, illuminating a room that had long ago been clogged by Pokémon books, drawings, photos, models, plushies, posters and even a duvet with Pokémon adoring it. The shelves were full of books ranging from old and tattered picture books to the much more recent Pokémon Trainer's handbooks. On the shelves below were a vast collection of models, some plastic, some clay, some hand-painted, others that were unidentifiable, and ranged from Magikarp to the legendary Groudon, which had pride of place among the other, smaller, models. The walls were covered in posters and drawings of Pokémon, and here the trend varied more towards electric types, especially Manectric. There were also photos, of wild Pokémon found around Mauville and also of Gym battles in the Mauville Gym, along with a picture of Will and his grandfather Wattson. Will barely spared these a glance, except for one in particular, of Will squatting next to a Manectric, presumably his Grandfather's again.

Downstairs, he was greeted by Ampharos and Magneton, his parents' Pokémon. When they were younger, the pair had been a team, often challenging foes to double battles. Ampharos and Magneton had stayed with their trainers as they settled down to domestic life, and Will had grown up with the pair, as well as the numerous other electric Pokémon his family had. And now, Will was going to begin his journey as a trainer, at long last. It was a pity they'd changed the laws about the age when people were allowed to train a few years ago, but in the end it was probably more sensible. Even so, he'd still had to wait a year longer. But he had to put that behind him now, because today was the day! When he entered the dining room, his parents were already there, his father, tall and willowy, and his mother, rather shorter and broader, which was ironic because they resembled their partner's Pokémon. Her hair perpetually victim to the static generated by her Pokémon and the straw-coloured strands could at times resemble bolts of lightning. Will himself had inherited his father's brown-ochre hair, which he wore short to prevent it looking like his mother's. "Well, I've tried to delay this day for so long, but I suppose it's time." She said to Will, and then drew him into a tight embrace. "If you want to come home, just call, okay honey?"

"Mum!" Will moaned, struggling away. "I'll be fine, really. I'm fourteen; I can take care of myself. And I'll have my Pokémon with me too, so there's really nothing to worry about."

"I'm your mother; it's my job to worry." She told him, laughing. "I suppose you'll want to go right away, just like we did." She looked over at his father at this point, and he blushed.

"At least you stopped for us to say goodbye, unlike myself. You have got everything, haven't you?" He asked cautiously.

"ID, Pokédex, Pokéball, map, trainer's manuals... yes, that's everything. Thanks, Mum, Dad. Right, I'll be on my way then. Bye!" he said, running to the front door and wrenching it open. He was on his way when his father called after him,

"Will!"

"Yes?" Will asked, skidding to a halt and looking over his shoulder.

"Your granddad wants to see you before you set off."

"Right, okay then. Bye!" Will called, setting off again.

"And call us when you get your Pokémon!"

"Alright, fine!" Will cried, exasperated. This time, he managed to get away without further interruption.

Will knew exactly where to find his grandfather, and his suspicions were proved correct as he approached the glass doors at the front of the Mauville Gym and they swung open to admit him. The lights weren't on yet, but the skylights created patches of filtered sunlight, and dust lazily floated through them like Jumpluff on a summer's breeze. They could often be seen high in the skies over Hoen, but because of Hoen's tropical climate, there were never any cold currents, so they never landed. Will carefully stepped over a tripwire placed in his path, and Will found Wattson setting up yet more traps for unsuspecting Trainers. "Hi granddad." Will said, and Wattson spun round.

"Will, my boy! How are you? I hope you weren't going to set off without coming to see me. Admittedly, I was rather hoping you'd miss the tripwire... still, never mind."

"You'll have to do better than that to catch me, Granddad." Will teased. It was thing they had, a battle of wits every time Will entered the gym.

"Oh, I like a challenge." Wattson retorted slyly, tapping his nose. "I'll get you one day."

"I'm sure you will, if you keep trying." Will chuckled.

"Yes. But that's not why I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you something." Wattson exclaimed. Will leaned forward intently.

"What is it, granddad?" he asked, curious.

"Well, let's just say I have something to give you." Wattson said. Will looked around expectantly, but Wattson didn't seem to have anything with him.

"So where is this 'thing'?" Will inquired.

"What? Oh, you're not getting it yet. Come back after you've beat two gyms. If you can defeat me, you can have it."

"What! I wanna know now!" Will protested, but Wattson just laughed.

"You'll enjoy it so much more if you've worked hard for it. It'll be well worth the weight, I can guarantee it." Wattson said mysteriously.

"Oh, this isn't fair! Stop talking about it, it'll make me want it more!" Will cried, backing away with his hands over his ears, but he was laughing.

"'Tis a most wondrous thing, 'tis indeed." Wattson persisted, and Will backed away further.

"Stop, please, stop!" Will said, backing away further still. There was a glint in Wattson's eyes.

"And what I've got is..."

"Enou-yaah!" Will cried, finally backing into the tripwire, giving him a mild shock.

"You! Hah-hah!" Wattson crowed, victorious, as Will left. "Good luck Will, have a good trip!" and chuckling at the retreating figure, Wattson returned to his traps.

The life of travelling may have seemed glamorous before, but after several days trekking, Will was exhausted. Now he was passing through Petalburg Woods, and he suspected that all that kept him going was the thought of a soft bed in the Pokémon centre. It was getting dark now, and a rustle in the nearby trees made sure he didn't linger to appreciate the beauty of the forest by night. He could see open ground ahead, and forged ahead. He was nearly there now.

Later still, well rested, he left the Pokémon centre; determine to reach Littleroot Town before nightfall, he set off as the sun was still climbing and the last tinges of red were fading from the sky. Fortunately, it was a short distance from Petalburg to Oldale, and an even shorter distance from there to New Bark Town. Even so, it wasn't until late afternoon, almost evening, that he stumbled into the small town of Littleroot. And even later still when he finally found the laboratory of Professor Birch, a converted barn from the bygone days when Littleroot was a rural farming village.

The barn was surrounded by a low stone wall and an overgrowing garden, presumably to encourage wild Pokémon to live there. There was even a pond, filled with pondweed and what looked like Poli-spawn. Will trudged up the gravel path, hoping that the Professor was in the lab today. He was apparently almost never present. Will was suddenly hit by spray of water, coming from his right. Spinning round, he saw a small blue face peeping out at him from the pond, a large blue fin jutting from the top and orange spikes from the sides. "Hey! Shoo, bad Pokémon, go!" Will yelled, shaking his fist at the creature. The Mudkip made a noise that sounded to Will like an evil cackle, and then it sank out of sight, into the depths of the pond. Fuming, Will stomped towards the lab.

Professor Birch turned out to be a middle-aged man, possibly in his early forties if Will had to guess, slightly overweight and with messy hair that seemed to frame his face. He was wearing a dirty laboratory coat over a navy-blue shirt, cargo shorts and sandals, rather casual attire for a Pokémon researcher, in Will's opinion. He was talking to an aide about something or other. Will coughed, and Birch looked round at the trainer. "Oh... Hello there."

He said. He seemed to be embarrassed about something.

"Hi. I'm... I'm here for my first Pokémon...?" Will replied, feeling rather nervous now the time had come at last.

"Ah, yes, right, I see. Well, um... the thing is, today was rather busy, and all the starters have been taken by trainers already. Perhaps if you come by tomorrow..."

"But... but..." Will stuttered, horror-struck. No Pokémon? Then... "There was a Mudkip in the pond." He blurted out, and immediately regretted his words. He'd rather no Pokémon than that little demon. Birch seemed to be thinking the same way.

"So you've met him then... well, I must warn you, he's very demanding..."

"What, like high maintenance?" Will asked, silently screaming _'wrong thing to say!'_

"No, as in it will demand the very best." Birch replied uncomfortably.

"So yes, like high maintenance?" Will replied, very confused.

"No, no, you misunderstand! Oh, it's so hard to explain..." Birch collapsed into a chair. "That Mudkip is the sort of Pokémon we'd reserve for veteran trainers. It's a challenge. It pushes itself to its limit all the time, and it will push you to yours. Not just in battle either. It will expect the best of you in everything. The best battler, the best morality, the best conduct... it's the sort of Pokémon that will either make you..." he looked Will right in the eye "or break you."

A few minutes later, Will emerged from the lab, Pokéball in hand. _'I must be crazy...' _he thought, as he edged closer to the pond, where he imagined the Mudkip was just waiting for him to come back, so it could soak him again. He'd figured he'd be ready for challenges on his quest, but he hadn't considered the possibility that his future partner would be one of them. Especially not because it was trying to squirt him. But if he couldn't take a jet of water, what would he do in a Pokémon battle? So that was why he was now standing on the bank of the pond, searching the murky water for Mudkip.

In actuality, the Mudkip in question had been snoozing in the bulrushes, but the return of the would-be trainer has awoken it once again. It slipped into the water and began to creep along the pond's bottom towards him.

Will, now on alert for the Pokémon, heard the splash as it did so and saw it enter the water. Now, he was watching it slip towards him along the bottom of the pond, apparently oblivious to Will's stare. A triumphant smile spread across his face as he tossed the Pokéball at the creature.

In the pond, Mudkip felt something hard smack into its head fin, and it had a few moments of shock before it was withdrawn to the confines of its Pokéball, at which point the shock morphed into resignation. He'd been chosen again. "I just hope this one's good enough." He muttered to himself. "But I doubt it."

* * *

**I hate this thing's text editor! I'll also be excepting OCs for the story, but please, keep them at levels the main OCs are likely to encounter if this was one of the games, and include character autobiographies+movesets for the Pokemon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, chapter 2's been tough to write. But here it is... not really sure what I think of this chapter to be honest, so I suggest you just read it and make up your own mind about it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. There, I said it. All OCs are mine however.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Will set out for Oldale Town in high spirits, despite the weather being decidedly muggy, with slate-grey clouds obscuring the sun but seemingly unable to shut out the heat that clung to Will like a sweat. It was a perpetual threat in the Hoen region, because the lush Plantlife was fuelled by the continual rain and bright sunlight. The price of their jungle was these days of clouds and windless heat. Still, Will remained positive, and his Mudkip seemed to be enjoying it at least. He hadn't attacked Will yet, anyway. But then Mudkip paused, tense, and stared in the direction of a shrub at the edge of the trail. "What's wrong boy?" he asked, bending down beside the Pokémon. He soon found out as a Poochyena sprang out towards them, snarling. "Oh wow, a Poochyena! Maybe we can battle it...Mudkip, use tackle!" Mudkip looked at the Poochyena's snapping jaws and opted for a long-distance Water Gun instead. He spat a great spray of water in the direction of the dog Pokémon, hitting it full in the mouth. "Huh, fine. Now use tackle while he's distracted!" Will commanded, and Mudkip complied, running forward and slamming into the spluttering Poochyena, knocking it to the ground. It responded by clamping down on Mudkip's tail, and Mudkip yelped in pain. "Mudkip, use water gun!" Will yelled. Mudkip blasted the Poochyena in the face with a water gun, forcing it to let go and sending it rolling backwards. "Alright, now finish up with tackle!" Will cried, and Mudkip complied, tackling the Poochyena to the ground once again. This time, it didn't get up. "Good work, Mudkip." He called, and Mudkip nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well, it seems capable at least." The Pokémon said, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"What was that?" Will asked. He couldn't understand of course. Humans couldn't. So Mudkip declined to answer, instead continuing to inspect himself for wounds. "Come on, you can do that later." Will told him, setting off again. "At the Pokémon centre, with a bath and first-aid kit. I need to stock up anyways."

"_Now it's talking sense." _Mudkip thought, so he trotted alongside his trainer, who was thinking of his first battle, and Mudkip's thoughts so focused on the anticipated pleasures of a warm bath that neither heard the low growling from the forest as a pair of red eyes watching the unconscious Poochyena. They narrowed to fiery slits as they shifted to the retreating figures of the trainer and his Pokémon, the ones who had attacked her pup...

She took her time, tracking the trainer and his Pokémon for some time, making sure she had the measure of her prey. She had faced trainers before, and knew from painful experience that they could fight with devastating effectiveness. It was said that a select few could even take on a whole pack. However, they were an extremely rare sight in this region, and rookie trainers out for the first time were far more common. She should never have let her pup out of her sight; he was far too young and curious to be left unguarded. And now he'd been attacked by a trainer. Still, they would soon regret that. She sank down into a crouch that would come before the sprint, she'd run down the ones who attacked her baby. Any second now...

They had less than a second to react. Thankfully, a human's reaction time is a quarter of a second. Will saw something massive emerge from the forest to his left, and leapt aside as the Mightyena barrelled past him, skidding to halt some distance away, fangs bared. A more naive trainer's thoughts might be on trying to catch the creature, but Will knew more than enough to know that battling the Mightyena was a bad idea. Firstly because it was probably several times stronger than Mudkip, and secondly because where there's one Mightyena, there's usually a pack.

The wolf Pokémon raised its head and howled; a sound that made the hairs on the back of Will's neck reach for the sky. This wasn't a battle he could win. He might as well not have a Pokémon for all the good it'd do him now. Speaking of which... "Mudkip, don't!" he cried, when he saw what the little creature was doing. It was growling and inching forwards towards the Mightyena, growling in a way that the Mightyena didn't seem to find very threatening, so it wasn't attacking. How long that would last Will had no idea, but he suspected it wouldn't be long. Suddenly, Mudkip attacked Mightyena with Water Gun, sending a plume of water at the large dog. Mightyena was struck full in the face, and had the situation been less dangerous, Will would have marvelled at his partner's skill. But now, he feared for their lives. "Mudkip, that's enough, come back!" he cried, inching backwards himself. Mudkip didn't seem to hear him, instead jumping in a puddle and flicking a large quantity of mud at Mightyena. The creature howled with rage and leapt at Mudkip, beating it with a forepaw as it passed. Mudkip rolled along the ground before coming to a stop and blasting the creature with mud once more. Mightyena leapt at it, jaws wide, and Will looked away from the inevitable crushing... but the creature missed, struggling to see with mud in its eyes. Mudkip, sensing weakness, sprayed it with an immense amount of water, and Will initially forgot what he was doing and cheered Mudkip on... then groaned as he realised their mistake. For the water had washed the mud from the eyes of the maddened wolf Pokémon, and now it could attack freely once again. And it wasted no time in hitting Mudkip like a runaway train, using takedown on the unfortunate mud fish Pokémon. Mudkip landed on the ground with an audible thump and lay sprawled in the grass. Mightyena eyed up her opponent and went in for the kill... it was opening its mouth even wider now, and Will's eyes widened with it as he recognised the move the great dog was using. "Mudkip!" he screamed. "You have to get up! It'll cut you in two! It's using crunch! You have to go, now!" Mudkip tried to struggle to its feet, and even managed to get a few steps, but it fell back down, defeated, as the creature loomed over it... Will's reaction was fluid. He swiped a Pokéball from his belt and hurled it, not at Mudkip but at Mightyena. It disappeared into the Pokéball in a flash of red light, and Will rushed forward to scoop up Mudkip and sprint, trying to put as much distance between them and the Pokéball before it opened again. He heard it break open, heard the howl of Mightyena, but he kept on running towards Oldale, hoping he'd manage to escape.

Mightyena exploded from the Pokéball, determined to track down the perpetrators, but yapping from behind her made her pause and look round. Her pup had regained consciousness and was limping towards her. Mightyena looked back in the direction of the fleeing trainer, who had hurt her baby, and then back to the pup, who seemed to now have recovered without any lasting injuries, and wanted his mother's attention. In the end, her maternal responsibilities won out, and she turned her back on the trainer. "Besides..." she yipped. "They've learned their lesson."

At the Pokémon Centre, several hours later, Mudkip too had recovered, and Will had kept his word and was now attempting to bathe Mudkip. "You did really well, holding off Mightyena as long as you did." Will said encouragingly, dabbing at Mudkip's flank with a sponge. Mudkip said nothing in response, remaining in the stoic silence he had been in since he'd awoken. "And the way you defeated Poochyena was really impressive..." Will tailed off, getting desperate. "Come on Mudkip, what's wrong?" he asked, moving round to face Mudkip. But Mudkip turned his head away. Sighing, Will dropped the Sponge in its bowl and ushered Mudkip out to the pool where several other Pokémon were frolicking in the water or lounging by the poolside with their trainers. "I need to get some supplies at the Pokémart. I'll be back in a little while, so stay here and don't run off, okay? Maybe you can talk to the other Pokémon about your problems." It was meant as a joke, but Will couldn't bring himself to laugh now. For whatever reason, he could tell his Pokémon was angry at him, and he had no idea why. But he did have to get supplies, so he set off for the Pokémart.

Exiting the Pokémart, his backpack laden with a menagerie of items he thought he might need on longer trips between the towns, Will paused and looked up at the sky, now turning red. He was unwilling to head back to the Pokémon Centre just yet, to spend the evening with Mudkip refusing to talk to him. Instead, his eyes were drawn to the northern edge of the small town, where the land opened up into route 103, which eventually led up to a large river which originated to the east of Oldale Town. Sea Pokémon would often swim up the river, due to its vast size, and would sometimes break the surface. Perhaps he'd see some water Pokémon that could explain what was wrong with Mudkip. Yes, it was a waste of time, but that was exactly what Will wanted to do. Perhaps he should have gone back to face Mudkip, but he convinced himself that a walk would be a good idea beforehand. So he set off down the forest paths, as the sky began to darken.

An hour later, Will stumbled through one last patch of thorns and fell backwards onto the riverbank with a flump. Panting, he looked out across the river, although all he could see was an inky blackness. The clouds were still in the way of the moon, and he shivered as he suddenly realised he couldn't actually see anything, and it was the sound of lapping water that had stopped him plunging headfirst into the river. Then, as if someone had pulled up a stage curtain, glistening light spread down the river, as clouds moved away from the moon. Will gasped as he saw the light-show, but then he saw something else glistening in the shadows. Curious, he got up and went to investigate. He struggled to see where he was going, branches snared his clothing, and he had no Pokémon for backup, he realised with a jolt. Still, he persisted. Besides, he'd never heard of any dangerous sparkly Pokémon. Even so, he was more cautious as he got nearer, until finally he reached a place where there was a small hole in the trees, through which a shaft of moonlight filtered down to the ground. In the patch of moonlight lay one of the strangest objects Will had ever laid eyes upon. It was a long, metallic object, with three large, claw-like structures sticking out at one end. At the other was a rough sphere attached with a ball-and-socket joint. Set into this was an amazing gemstone of some kind, bearing great resemblance to a ruby-red eye. But despite its bizarre appearance, it seemed familiar. Will reached out to pick it up. It felt heavy, but not quite as heavy as he would initially expect. He turned it over to examine the jewel set in the ball at the top. It looked like it could swivel on its attachment, although what purpose this could serve he didn't know. In fact, it was funny, but the jewel looked like it had been knocked loose when he'd picked it up. It had slipped in its cavity so that it was turned towards him. It almost looked almost like it was staring at him! How silly...

Then it blinked. "Aargh!" Will yelled, flinging the Pokémon away from himself and backing away from it. It rolled over a few times on the ground before glaring at him reproachfully, and to be honest, it looked rather scared. Will immediately relented, seeing the Pokémon scared and determined not to completely fail at Pokémon training. "I don't know where I went wrong with Mudkip... but perhaps this Pokémon can teach me how to make things right." He walked forward and the Pokémon recoiled. "Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry little one. I didn't mean to hurt you, it's just... well, it's just I didn't know you were a Pokémon! Hah hah, it was quite silly of me, I recognise you now. You're a Beldum, aren't you?"

"Ye-yes..." Beldum replied, although of course Will heard it as "Bel-Beldum..."

"I knew I'd seen you somewhere before. But..." Will looked around at the forest. "This isn't your normal habitat, is it? You normally live in upland areas... not forests. So why're you here? Maybe... did you get separated from your trainer?"

"Beldum-bel!" it squeaked, attempting what appeared to be a nod with its 'head'.

"Right then, let's try and find him." Will told it, although to be honest, he had no idea how. Luckily, Beldum seemed to, indicating it wanted to go deeper into the forest. "Well... if that's where you want to go..." Will murmured, before setting off into the forest, hoping that he wasn't making a big mistake.

Will lost track of time in among the trees, blind and walking with hands outstretched to feel for obstructing branches and vines to push them aside, ears strained for the slightest noise of some dangerous Pokémon approaching. But all he could hear was an occasional encouraging squeak from Beldum, and his own footfalls. Eventually, he began to see a pale light among the trees, and it spurred him on, as he crashed through the semi-jungle towards it. He made one last surge forward, and suddenly he found himself on open ground. He was standing at the bottom of a moonlight-drenched hill, ringed by the forest in all directions. He could see the tips of still more trees poking over the crest of the hill. Beldum squirmed in his grasp, squeaking excitedly. "What's up, Beldum?" Will asked, and Beldum chirped

"Beldum!" ('_Listen'_) although Will didn't understand this, so Beldum fell silent, letting him hear for himself. Will could hear something strange, like someone ramming something huge and metallic into the ground continually. Will began to scramble up the slope to see what on earth it could be. He was about halfway up when he began to notice a pattern to the thumping. It was a rhythm, almost like... footsteps? But surely it couldn't, because whatever was making them would have to be huge... he looked down at the Beldum. The Beldum that would evolve into a Metang. Which would then evolve into...

"Meeettaaagroooooaaaaass!" the roar crashed down over Will and Beldum, sounding like a peal of thunder mixed with scraping metal plates together, and Will dived for the ground, cursing the lack of cover on the exposed slope. But it was still quite, so maybe it wouldn't spot him. The creature appeared in his field of vision, resembling an armoured spider. It was covered in rough steel, and its body, like a UFO, rested in a cradle of four trunk-like legs, ending in sharp claws. Its face was a huge cross, and on either side, two huge red spheres glowered at everything in its sight, seemingly lit by an inner light, like the eye of the Beldum he was carrying. And beneath... from his position below the creature, Will could see its mouth, a hole in its underside, and within was a whirlwind of saws, a spinning, grinding vortex. All of which was, obviously, a considerable blow to Will's morale. But maybe it wouldn't see him... the eyes slid towards him... _"Still can't see me..." _it turned to face him _"nope, can't see me..." _extended a leg towards him _"I wonder what'll happen to Mudkip?" _and then, the voice.

"Whoa, Metagross, stop!" and then everything stopped. No claws grabbing him, no maw grinding him into tiny chunks. Will looked up, just in time to see someone jump off the Metagross and walk towards him. He prised Beldum from Will's shaking figures, and offered him a hand. Will took it, trembling, and looked into the face of his savoir. Pale turquoise eyes watched him with concern, below a crown of grey hair. It was a face Will knew well, and he'd dreamed of meeting it, although not like this. It was Steven Stone.

* * *

**Hmm... That was awkward. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that, constructive criticism appreciated, etc. OCs excepted in review, 'cause my inbox is playing up so I'd hate to miss any submissions (like there will be. Who do I think reads this anyway?)**


End file.
